


Snape's Comedy of Errors, or Reflections at Tea Time

by rayvyn2k



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, HBP and DH disregarded, HP: EWE, Of age student/teacher, Porn With Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-09
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-02-07 23:24:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1918008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rayvyn2k/pseuds/rayvyn2k
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I suck at summaries, so I'm just putting the original prompt here. </p>
<p>Original Prompt: Summary: Not HBP compliant, 7th year, Hermione & Severus having a secret relationship...someone (author's choice, except for Lupin, please) discovers them and, in a fit of jealous rage, tries to expose their secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snape's Comedy of Errors, or Reflections at Tea Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [siriusly_lupine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriusly_lupine/gifts).



> Written for the Summer 2006 LJ sshg_exchange for siriusly_lupine.
> 
> Massively rewritten for posting here. Almost like a second gift for siriusly_lupine. :)
> 
> Beta Reader: daireen

_A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,_  
 _We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;_  
 _But were we burdened with like weight of pain,_  
 _As much or more we should ourselves complain._  
 _William Shakespeare, A Comedy of Errors_

* * * * *

Severus Snape was seated in his favorite chair—the comfortable leather one—in front of the fireplace in his private quarters at Hogwarts. He was sipping a glass of excellent Merlot and trying to pinpoint the precise moment when he had lost his mind. Had the pressure of being a double-agent finally gotten to him?

He set the goblet down on the table beside him and leaned his head against the back of the chair with a tired sigh. Yes, that had to be it. Insanity was the only explanation for his actions over the past several months.

It all started at the end of the last term at Hogwarts---Potter and his gang’s sixth.

Severus had been seated in his office on the day of the end-of-year feast, grading tests, when there was a knock on the door. 

_“Enter,” he growled._

_He resisted the urge to groan when the door opened and a familiar bushy-haired young woman came in, carefully closed the door behind her and leaned against it._

_“What do you want, Miss Granger? Unhappy with your marks?”_

_She didn’t answer immediately; in fact she seemed rather nervous. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and seemed to be gathering her thoughts as she shook her head in the negative. Snape noticed she was wearing her skirt rather shorter than regulation—well, she did have the legs for it. Come to think of it, her tie and the top few buttons of her blouse were undone, as well. In fact, that blouse was agape._

_Snape shook himself mentally. What the hell was he thinking? Irritated, he snapped, “Miss Granger, if you do not tell me why you have interrupted me, I will be forced to take 50 points from Gryffindor.”_

_She seemed to come to a decision. She smiled and pushed herself away from the door to approach his desk. “Why would you deduct points? What have I done?”_

_“Aside from barging in on my leisure time, your uniform is far from regulation.”_

_Her expression seemed to subtly change to one of triumph, but when he looked closer, it was gone. “I want to tell you something.” She caught her bottom lip with her teeth again and flushed._

_Snape recalled thinking at the time that he must have been mistaken about the whole “look of triumph” thing. It was her blush that distracted him…that and…_

_The scent of her perfume reached him—slightly spicy with a hint of musk. He noticed how her teeth had made her bottom lip nicely pink and swollen. His eyes moved lower, along the line of her throat until he was looking at the delicate lace of her pink bra peeking over those undone buttons…_

_Snape jerked his eyes away from her décolletage and back to her face—and right into her eyes. He realized she knew where his gaze had wandered. “What do you wish to tell me?” He said in a dangerous voice_

Snape understood now that that was the moment when he should have simply stood up and ordered her from his office. Why hadn't he? It was simple. His damnable curiosity got the best of him. He remembered thinking, why would she be coming to see him? To beg a favor for Potter or Weasley? To distract him from some scheme or other? Merlin’s balls, he never imagined the real reason. How could he when it was so unbelievable? 

_Hermione leaned across his desk, and met his irritated gaze. “I want to tell you that—in the last year—I have noticed—that you are very attractive, Professor Snape.”_

_Snape remembered feeling completely gobsmacked. Of all the reasons he might have imagined, that was the—well, it was not even on the list._

_Snape had risen from his chair, wrapped himself in his dignity, crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. “Very amusing, Miss Granger. You have had your little joke. Now, stop wasting my time. Run along back to Gryffindor Tower and tell all of your friends about your little prank.”_

_Hermione rose up to her full height and locked her eyes on his. “I’m not joking, Professor. In fact, I have never been more serious. Over the last year, I have been studying you. You’re intelligent, not to mention brave. You risk your life for the Order every day. You set high standards for others, but higher ones for yourself. I find you fascinating, and—if I may be so bold—attractive. In short—you are everything I’m looking for in a—” She stumbled just a fraction “Friend. So I’d like to get to know you better—outside of school. On a personal level.”_

_Snape's response was a skeptical snort._

_Hermione bristled. She crossed her arms across her chest. “If you think I’m being duplicitous, then please use your Leglimency skills to verify my sincerity.”_

That had been his second opportunity to send her away. Instead, he had allowed his anger to overwhelm his common sense. She invited him to look into her mind? He took the bait.

_“Very well,” he drew his wand, “ Legilimens!”_

_Snape burrowed into her mind, unimpeded, and focused on the recent past. Her mind was well-ordered, so finding those memories was simplicity itself._

_Arriving at the beginning of the term, reuniting with Potter, Weasley and the rest of her friends…first Hogsmeade weekend—with Weasley and Potter, of course—Weasley holds her hand then later kisses her…she is not impressed…thinks Krum was better...N.E.W.T.-level potions class. She admires Snape’s knowledge and notices he is more relaxed with students who are more experienced, but at the same time expects more from them…Weasley talks her into sneaking off with him to the top of Gryffindor Tower to snog…he fondles her breasts…she likes how it makes her feel but she doesn't like Weasley 'in that way' and decides later that night to break up with him soon. Next Snape sees flashes of various potions classes…enjoying the challenges of the fiddly potions Snape sets…a “well done” from him elicits warm feelings within her. She stares at him during class…finds him attractive...she masturbates later that night, a fantasy involving them together in the dungeon. (Seriously, Granger, the dungeon?) She breaks up with Weasley…he doesn’t take it well. She looks forward to seeing Snape in class, at mealtimes, in the corridors…she continues to indulge in sexual fantasies about him while pleasuring herself using a vibrator and a dildo..._ (He slips past those quickly. He hadn't expected her to show him such private memories.) _She makes a couple of attempts to get his attention…becomes frustrated when he does not respond…she conceives the plan to talk to him before the end-of-year feast…she rolls up her skirt, undoes her tie and the top few buttons of her blouse and scurries down to his office before meeting her friends in the Great Hall..._

Snape had withdrawn from her mind, shaken to his core. He opened his eyes and focused his attention on her face. She swayed. He moved quickly around the desk to steady her. She leaned against him and somehow, she was in his arms. 

_“Do you believe me now?” Her question was asked softly against his chest._

_“Yes.” His voice was hollow. “I believe you.”_

_Hermione looked up, met his eyes and smiled—then she reached up and laid her hand on his cheek._

That small gesture undid him. How many years had it been since any woman had looked at him with such tenderness? 

_She rose to her toes as he lowered his head. Their lips met in a gentle, lingering kiss. He teased her mouth open with his tongue and explored it leisurely; thoroughly. When they parted, he laid his cheek on the top of her head. He sighed. “Thank you for your kind thoughts and words, Miss Granger…however…”_

_She stiffened as he gently, but firmly disengaged himself from her embrace, took a step back, and held her at arm’s length._

_“You must understand. This cannot be repeated.”_

_Her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Why? I like you and I want to get to know you better. You’ve seen for yourself that’s true. And, well, based on that kiss—I’d say you like me too…”_

_He held up a hand. “None of that matters. I am not only your teacher; I’m old enough to be your father.”_

_She opened her mouth to reply just as the bell rang to summon the castle’s occupants to the leaving feast. Hermione grimly buttoned her blouse and straightened her tie. After she had unrolled and smoothed her skirt, she looked into his eyes once more. Before he could react, she stepped forward, stood on tip-toe, brushed his lips with hers and murmured into his ear._

_“Have a great summer, Professor. Think about what I’ve told you—what you know to be true. I won’t ask you to owl me because I know you won’t. Please understand. This is not some kind of school-girl crush. I won’t give up on you and…I’ll miss you.” Then she turned and walked out of his office._

Snape sighed. Those summer months were some of the worst he could remember. The Dark Lord was often displeased with the lack of progress in his campaign against the Ministry and Dumbledore. Snape and the other Death Eaters had been the recipients of that displeasure in the form of the Cruciatus and occasionally Avada Kedavra.

Thank Merlin for his Occluding skills. 

And the Order members treated Snape no better—even without using the Unforgivables. 

The barely concealed contempt of some and the outright mistrust of others…it was exhausting. Thankfully, Potter and his pals had been kept safely tucked away at the Burrow. Sometimes, in the quiet of the late night, the memory of that kiss would slip into his consciousness—only to be quashed mercilessly. Snape shuddered to think what might happen if the Dark Lord (or the Order for that matter) ever discovered what had happened. Voldemort would wonder why Snape had not informed him of Miss Granger's actions. Both he and Hermione would be dead…or worse.

Snape had shoved the incident to the back of his mind. He'd told himself that it was nothing more than a school-girl crush which would have passed along with the summer. 

Before he knew it, the new term was at hand.

_Snape was seated at the head table in the Great Hall and he was scowling. The students were arriving and the start-of-term feast was at hand. Snape hated the start-of-term feast only slightly more than he hated the end-of-term feast. Yet, every damned year Dumbledore made it quite plain that Snape’s presence was required at both. And twice a year—every year—he sat between Professors Sinistra and McGonagall, disgruntled with the world._

_He was grateful that Sinistra and Sprout were engaged in conversation. McGonagall’s chair was empty, as usual, since she would be corralling the First Years. He crossed his arms over his chest, sat back in his chair and glared as was his usual modus operandi. However, this year, the glare was more of a mask than usual. Snape, in spite of his best efforts, had not been able to forget his encounter with Miss Granger at the end of last term. He was on edge. His gaze shot to the door when it opened, only to flicker away when the students who entered were not the one he sought. By the time Dumbledore entered and sat down in Minerva's chair beside him, Snape's nerves had been stretched to the breaking point._

_“Hello, Headmaster.” Snape ensured that his mental barriers were firmly in place._

_Albus nodded. “Severus. Another year is upon us…perhaps the most important year of all.”_

_“I believe you are quite correct.” Snape leaned close to the older wizard and lowered his voice. “The Dark Lord’s patience is wearing thin.”_

_“We are fortunate to have gotten Harry and his friends safely through another summer.” Dumbledore’s sharp eyes met his._

_“Yes, quite fortunate.” A prickle of fear (did Albus know?) materialized in his stomach which was quashed instantly. There was nothing to know. Nothing at all. Nothing, nothing, nothing…_

_The hairs on the back of Snape’s neck suddenly stood at attention. It took all of the discipline he possessed to continue to gaze blandly at the headmaster while the older wizard probed his mind. Severus had already locked the incriminating memories away, deeper than anyone could probe without a wand. Instead, he pushed the latest round of _Crucio_ with the Dark Lord to the forefront. The tickle was withdrawn._

_“We will have to be much more vigilant during the year, however, if we wish to keep them safe.” Dumbledore said._

_"I'm certain everyone is prepared, Headmaster."_

_Dumbledore rose and patted Snape on the shoulder. “Truer words were never said, my boy.” He leaned in close and murmured, “I know I can continue to count on you to maintain a watchful eye—especially on those who are closest to Harry.”_

_Snape looked at him sharply, but Dumbledore’s expression was one of extreme satisfaction._

_“Of course I will, as will we all.”_

_“Very well. I believe Professor McGonagall is ready to bring in the new First Year students.” Dumbledore made his way to his own chair, seated himself and nodded to Filch who was manning the doors at the back of the Great Hall._

_Snape used the entrance of McGonagall and the first years as a cover to glance over at the Gryffindor table. He picked out Hermione’s bushy hair at once. She must have come in while Dumbledore was talking to him. She was sitting next to and chatting animatedly with Ginny Weasley. Snape couldn't help noticing that Hermione seemed to have grown during the summer. Her features seemed more angular. Not only that, she held herself differently somehow. More gracefully, perhaps? He was trying to put his finger on just what was different when Hermione glanced up and met his gaze. Her eyes lit and she acknowledged him with the briefest of nods before returning her attention to her conversation with Miss Weasley._

_Snape was surprised to feel both relief and disappointment. Obviously, Miss Granger had gotten over her fascination with him during the summer. With a small sigh, he settled back to watch the Sorting. It had been only a schoolgirl crush after all._

'What a Naïve fool I was,' he thought. Snape raised his goblet and drained the last of the wine in one swallow. He waved his hand and the bottle poured another. 'The minx manipulated me into lowering my guard.' Her campaign had been one to make any Slytherin proud.

"For two solid weeks, she attended class each day, took notes, brewed potions, turned in homework. All without paying the slightest 'extra' attention to you." Snape muttered to himself. Just when he had relaxed his vigilance with the knowledge that last summer had been a passing infatuation, everything went pear-shaped. 

_He had set a particularly fiddly potion that day in order to stretch his students to the limits of their knowledge and capability. He was seated at his desk, grading the atrocious papers of his first year students, when suddenly there was a bang, a column of smoke and a melted cauldron. Snape looked up and found Draco Malfoy, his usually well-coiffed hair singed and full of soot, glaring at Hermione._

_“I did not expect to see another melted cauldron in this class after Longbottom dropped it, Mr. Malfoy.”_

_“It was Granger’s fault, sir.” Was the affronted reply. “She added scurvy grass instead of aconite—she did it deliberately to get me into trouble.”_

_“I did not do it to get you into trouble!” Hermione said, indignant._

_Cries of “I saw you!” and “Be fair, Granger!” rang out, and from more than the usual Slytherins for a change. Hermione’s face reddened, she stopped talking and crossed her arms._

_“Miss Granger, you have just lost 20 points for Gryffindor and earned a detention. Tonight at six o’clock. You will be scrubbing cauldrons without magic. Be sure to wear something you do not mind getting wet, because you will be washing a sink full of them. Perhaps once you have finished, you will appreciate these important tools more than you seem to at the moment.”_

_She sat down in a huff, but with a gleam in her eyes. Snape’s main concern at that point was that she was trying to create a distraction for Potter by keeping him from patrolling the hallways at night—so he sent a note to Filch advising him to be extra vigilant._

“I should have suspected. Granger, melt a cauldron?” Snape muttered aloud. “But, Merlin’s sainted aunt—detention? That is just so cliché—” He rubbed his temples. “I never suspected her—only Potter.” She had told the truth. She hadn't done it in order to get Draco into trouble. 

_That evening he'd hung his robe on the coat rack in the corner, unbuttoned his cuffs and collar, rolled up his shirt sleeves and then sat down at his desk. With a sigh, he reached for the seemingly never-ending stack of papers to be graded. He was fully engaged in the activity when the knock on his door came._

_“Enter” He said without looking up. The door opened and closed. Footsteps approached his desk and stopped. Snape finished the paper he was working on by scrawling a huge “D” across it. He waved his quill toward the sink._

_“I have saved the cauldrons for you, Miss Granger. I hope you have come prepared to clean them without magic.”_

_“Yes, Professor, I have.”_

_Something in the tone of her voice made him glance up. His eyes met hers and he froze when she began to unbutton her school robe. When she shrugged it from her shoulders, his eyes widened and he nearly dropped his quill._

_Hermione was wearing a red bathing costume…a two piece bit of nothing which did little to cover her body. Snape felt the blood drain from his face and pool in his lap. She turned and began to walk toward the sink and he rotated his chair to follow her with his eyes. His gaze traveled down her back, lingering over the swaying of her behind and down her seemingly endless legs. On her feet were—he swallowed hard and tried to ignore his growing erection—red high heels. Balance-defying shoes which accentuated the sway of her hips and the curve of her legs. When she got to the sink, she bent slightly at the waist and reached across to turn on the water which hit one of the cauldrons and splashed her._

_Snape shook himself and barked. “Miss Granger!”_

_Hermione straightened, turned and leaned back on the edge of the sink. The water had soaked her bathing costume, which now clung to her. Her nipples were hard peaks on her lovely breasts. The wet bottoms accentuated her mound and nether lips. Her eyes were sparkling and her smile could only be described as predatory._

_“Yes, Professor?”_

_Snape swallowed the bludger in his throat and croaked. “What the hell are you wearing?”_

_She looked down and then back up at him with what she must have imagined was an innocent expression—but which Snape would have characterized as beguiling._

_“Well, you did tell me to wear something I didn’t mind getting wet. I figured—what better than my bathing costume?” She smoothed her hands down her sides, locked her eyes on his and began to walk toward him. “It's new. Do you like it?”_

_Snape felt light-headed. It was almost as though he was under Imperio—he could neither leave his seat, nor look away from her hypnotizing brown eyes as he watched her approach. She stopped in front him, put her hands on the arms of his chair, and leaned in, trapping him. Her lips were a hairs-breadth away from his. She murmured. “You didn't think I'd given up, did you?”_

_“I am too old for you.” Snape protested weakly._

_Hermione smiled. “You’re perfect for me.” She closed the distance between them and kissed him._

_Snape’s resolve shattered. He was only human, for Merlin's sake. He stood, crushed her to him and kissed her back hungrily. Their tongues tangled, wrestled for dominance. He caressed every inch of her back, sliding down to cup her bottom, pulling her against his erection. She ground herself against him with a low groan._

_Snape relinquished her lips and kissed his way down her jaw, her neck, her shoulders. He untied the strings which held her top on and tossed it aside before capturing a nipple in his mouth. He teased it with his tongue and teeth before sucking it into his mouth. Hermione whimpered and slid her hands down to unbutton his trousers. It was his turn to groan when she freed and wrapped her hand around his erection._

_"Well, well, look what you've been hiding underneath all those robes." She began to stroke it as he shifted his attention to her other breast._

_Snape slipped his hand into the bottom of her bathing costume and his finger into her. Hermione gasped when he added a second finger. When she matched her strokes to his, Snape grabbed her wrist with his other hand. "Have mercy, Miss Granger. It's been a while."_

_Hermione responded by pulling his head to hers and kissing him hard. His finger slipped out of her and he found her clit. She moaned against his mouth as he massaged her most sensitive spot. It wasn’t long before she stiffened and clung to him as her orgasm shuddered over her body._

_He started to draw away, but she tightened her hand around his cock once more. “You're not getting away that easily, mister.” She growled. "Please, I've been dreaming of this all summer. I need...I want to feel you inside of me."_

_It would take a better wizard than he to turn down an offer like that from a beautiful half-naked witch. Snape vanished the bottom half of her swimming costume. He did the same to the papers on his desk, and then he turned her around and bent her over it. The shoes she wore ensured that her bottom was displayed fetchingly. He drew in his breath sharply._

_Merlin's sacred balls, she was delectable._

_He locked the office door with a thought, cast Muffliato and a contraceptive charm. Then he nudged her legs apart and moved in behind her. The logical, sane part of his brain surfaced for a moment and he paused. She whined in frustration._

_“It is not too late to stop this.”_

_“Damn it—don't make me get rough with you, Severus. I know you want this as much as I do, so stop being so damned noble and shag me with that impressive cock!”_

_Since she asked so nicely, Snape told his logical brain to go fuck itself._

_He caught hold of her hips and pressed himself into her warmth. He went slowly, trying to be gentle, but Hermione knew what she wanted. She pushed back, taking him in to the hilt with a groan. "Merlin, you feel so good, Severus. So big...Ooohh yesss...give it to me fast and hard.”_

_Snape complied with a possessive growl. Sweat poured off of him as he thrust into her depths again and again. Her moans were like music to him. He leaned over, reached around her body and slipped a finger into her once again. He found her clit and circled it. Hermione's cunt spasmed on his cock as she shattered with a wail. His balls tightened and with a final flurry of thrusts, he came hard, gasping her name, and then he collapsed across her, supporting his weight on his shaking arms._

_The cauldrons were cleaned with magic that night._

Snape shifted in his chair. That memory had the power to arouse him still. He had to remove it to his Pensieve whenever he met with Dumbledore or the Dark Lord. He sighed to himself. Thinking with your cock is what got you into this mess. Well...all good things and all that.

_After that first night, things changed radically for Snape. During the day, he was the same sneering, cruel git that his reputation claimed him to be. At night, whenever possible, he was friend, confidant and lover to Hermione Granger. The times he treasured most were the nights they simply sat quietly in front of the fire together. She, working on homework assignments, usually. He, reports or grading bloody homework essays. They talked, debated and argued about a myriad of subjects. He was astounded at the breadth of her knowledge and her hunger for more._

_And that was not even counting the sex. Snape had not realized how much he had missed sex, until he was getting it regularly again._

_The first time the Dark Lord summoned him after they had been seeing each other; Hermione had clung to him sobbing, and begged him not to go. He gently, but firmly pried her off, kissed her and left her standing alone in his sitting room. It was one of the hardest things he had ever done. When he returned, she was still there, sleeping curled in a ball on his sofa. She hugged him in relief and cried again—tears of joy this time._

_As the year wore on and the danger grew, their time together became even more precious and they treasured every moment._

Should have known it was too good to last, Snape thought bitterly. I am going to have to either Obliviate or use an Unforgivable on one of her closest friends and I will lose her because of it. I will not submit to blackmail nor allow her to be put in danger.

His thoughts traveled back to the past Monday. And the knock on his office door that had changed everything.

_“Enter.”_

_The door opened and, to Snape’s surprise, Ronald Weasley appeared. He closed the door and then walked over to stand in front of Snape’s desk._

_“To what do I owe this dubious honor, Mr. Weasley?”_

_“I know what is going on between you and Hermione.” The red-head announced without preamble._

_Snape sneered at him. “Whatever fantasy your nasty mind has conjured, I assure you, it is far from the truth.”_

_Weasley lowered his voice and drew his wand. “Don't lie to me, Snape. She's changed. Become secretive. I've been suspicious of her for ages." He shrugged. "So, I started following her. I didn't understand why she would spend so much time down here. I asked her about it. She told me she was taking extra lessons with you. Right then, I knew she was lying—I mean, when has Hermione ever needed extra lessons? So, I asked Harry to loan me his Invisibility Cloak. I've been slipping in here behind her for the last week. There aren't any 'lessons'. You correct papers, she does her homework and when you're done you start snogging...and other things...until it's almost curfew. Then she goes back to her room.”_

_Snape kept his expression absolutely neutral and his body completely still. He was furious. Luckily for Weasley his wand was in his robes, which were hanging on the coat rack in the corner. Snape couldn't cast Obliviate or Imperio without it. And he daren't summon it, not with an angry young wizard holding him at wand point._

_Weasley's face was flushed with rage. “I can’t believe that Hermione tarted herself with you of all people. She wouldn't, not with a greasy git like you. I'll bet you have her under Imperio.”_

_Snape kept his irritation firmly leashed. “Don't be ridiculous, Weasley. Do you think I could cast an Unforgivable in this castle without the Headmaster knowing about it? Miss Granger comes here of her own free will.”_

_Weasley shoved his wand into Snape's face with a shaking hand. "NO! I don't believe she would choose you over me!"_

_Snape lowered his voice. "Have you talked to her?"_

_"I don't have to talk to her to know she's under some sort of evil spell from you! There is no other explanation!" He shoved his wand closer. "I've come here to tell you...to stop! Stop seeing her...and talking to her...and everything else!" The boy was raving. "And I want you to lay off Harry and me, too!"_

_Snape leaned back in his chair and templed his fingers beneath his chin. "I see. Anything else?"_

_"Yeah, a couple of hundred Galleons.”_

_"Weasley, I don't know where you think I'm going to get that kind of money, even if I intended to. Nor why I should do anything except report you for insubordination."_

_The young wizard's face reddened and twisted into an ugly sneer. "Oh really? Well, if I don't get what I want, I'll tell your boss everything I know, how about that?"_

_“You have no proof. Dumbledore would never believe you.”_

_Weasley's smile was ugly. “Not that boss, Snape. I don’t think You-Know-Who will care much about ‘proof.’”_

_Snape felt his first real stab of fear since Weasley had entered his office. His mind clicked into gear. He had to stall for time. Come up with a plan._

_“Okay...okay. But, I don't have that kind of money, I live on a teacher's salary, remember? I will need a couple of days in order to obtain it.”_

_“Fine. You have two days. And stay away from Hermione, Snape. I’ll be watching.” With a triumphant smirk, Weasley turned on his heel and stalked out of his office._

_Snape had slumped back in his chair, shaking with rage._

He'd avoided seeing Hermione for the past two days, pleading business with the Dark Lord. He had formulated a plan to protect Hermione from the red-headed menace. Executing that plan would mean giving up Hermione and very possibly, his job at Hogwarts. Because, Snape was not going to give in to blackmail, nor was he going to risk the safety of the woman he loved. Now, he was drinking his wine and waiting for Potter’s sidekick to arrive. He would use Imperio to gain control of him; Leglimency to discover how much he really knew, then Obliviate to erase those memories from Weasley's mind.

And, once he finished dealing with Weasley, he would have to stop seeing Hermione until after the war. That was the worst part of all of this. Losing Hermione, risking their budding relationship. She would never understand why he had to push her away...but how could he tell her about Weasley?

'Well, at least I was able to snatch a little happiness out of all of this…and perhaps…after the war…if we both survive…'

His musing was interrupted by a knock on the door. Snape stood, straightened his robes, strode into his office and seated himself behind his desk. He held his wand in his lap at the ready. 

“Enter.”

The door opened. Albus Dumbledore glided in, closed the door and came to a stop in front of the desk. Snape gaped at him.

“Headmaster—I was not expecting—that is to say I have another appointment—”

Dumbledore smiled like a child with a secret. “Ah, yes. That would be with Mr. Ronald Weasley, would it not?”

Snape gaped at him.

“He is indisposed at the moment, I’m afraid. So, I’ve come to see you instead. Do you mind if I sit down?”

Snape shook his head.

“Thank you.” Dumbledore seated himself and met Snape’s eyes across the desk. "You can put your wand away, Severus."

Snape’s mouth was dry. Here it was. His worst fear, come to fruition. He was being sacked. Why had he listened to his heart instead of his head? He pocketed his wand and straightened. 

“Severus, I came here tonight to tell you that you are—”

Snape closed his eyes.

“—not being sacked. And Hermione is not being expelled.”

Snape opened his eyes and immediately regretted it as his head began to swim. “Not--?”

Dumbledore smiled. “You didn’t really think you could keep something like this from me, did you? Ah-well, I see that you did.” He chuckled and fished in his robe pocket. “Would you like a lemon sherbet? No? Well, actually, I knew that your relationship with Hermione was going to happen long before you did, I’ll wager.” He popped the candy into his mouth.

Snape knew that he had finally, irretrievably taken leave of his senses. He couldn't seem to be able to put more than two words together. “You did?”

Dumbledore nodded. “Oh yes. There is a prophecy, you see. I’ll show it to you in the Pensieve one day, but basically it says that ‘the dark man and the young woman of light will find each other and together their strength will help the chosen one in his quest.’ That’s the gist of it, anyway. So, you see, I could not let Mr. Weasley’s jealousy come between you and Hermione. I tried to reason with him...told him that there is another young woman who is meant for him—but I’m afraid he would insist on telling me everything he knew and demanding that I do something about it. So I did." The old wizard shook his head sadly. "I was forced to Obliviate him in order to erase those memories from his mind. Oh and to keep him from going to Voldemort.” He sighed. “I hated to do it, but I must say, he’s happier now. I also gave him more confidence in his Quidditch play, to make up for it. I hope you don't mind?”

Snape was dumbfounded. He could care less about Quidditch. “Prophecy? You knew? Then why—for Merlin’s sake, man! Why did you let us sneak around like that?”

Dumbledore leaned on the desk and winked. “I knew it would be more exciting for you that way.” He chuckled and rose. “Well, that’s really all I came to say. Please, continue to be discreet while Hermione is still a student. And don’t forget to invite me to the wedding.” He walked over to the door, turned and raised his hand. “Good night, Severus.”

“Good night, Headmaster. And—thank you.”

The door closed. Snape walked back into his sitting room in a daze. He poured another goblet of Merlot, sat back down in his comfortable leather chair and smiled.


End file.
